


Lovers to strangers again

by ziim



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Coach! Adora, F/F, F/M, Figure Skater! Catra, Kinky, Light Angst, Mommy Issues, Read at Your Own Risk, Smut, figure skating, i won't put content warnings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:22:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29760981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziim/pseuds/ziim
Summary: The cold wind caressing their muscles back, along with whatever shiny costume they chose to wear this time. Kind of lonely if you think about it. Sounds of applause could reverberate all their fame and hard work, but it really isn’t the same as skating by the laughter of your most loved ones in that empty gymnasium- fifteen and naïve to the fall that comes from jumping so high.Mommy/Daddy kinks are hot, you can't change my mind.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> all i know of figure skating is from yuri! on ice and other netflix shows/movies, besides watching championships, so please let me know if i wrote anything obnoxious or any smaler mistakes

_This isn’t fair._

The first sentence that came to Adora’s mind was how this whole situation isn’t fair. But what wasn’t fair? Her competition? Or the feeling that had _no business_ crawling itself through her veins and making her pump with life again? Surely the person causing it all without a care to alarm her like that, she didn’t flinch the same way as her. She didn’t drop her bag with a loud thump from the skaters inside. She didn’t rewind her day until their dreadful meet, _retake_ her steps towards the stadium and to paralyze like that now.

“Wildcat! Hey! What are you still doing here? We need to go sign-up”, a stranger’s voice interrupted whatever train of thought ran through their brains. But really, there hadn’t been any.

“Uhm, sorry, do I know you?”

Adora blinked back to reality, fixing her gaze on the stranger instead. “Huh?”

“Oh! I know! Was this a staring contest? So sorry to interrupt, but we should get going before the line gets too big”, this taller than either of them and white-haired woman explained. “I’m Scorpia! How do you know my Catra?”

“I…” Blondie refrained from assuming anything, as she looked back at her… at the other stranger now. They don’t know each other anymore. Not really. “We went to the same school together” was what she decided on.

Catra amused over it with the prick of tears passing her mismatched eyes. The blue and yellow color Adora thought she would never see again. She never thought she would want to look away either- such irony from the world, it’s almost laughable. Almost, if not so hurtful.

The brunette ended up just passing by her without a word, with her friend (?) hot on her trail. Adora still didn’t feel her breath quite coming back to her yet, once she was left alone.

She forced her limbs to move, though, forced her body to stay numb like the last decade she had learned to. Fortunate or unfortunately, Glimmer was already waiting for her right around the corner and they started for the dressing room.

The pink-haired teenager didn’t glance up from her phone, not until they got to said destination. Adora opened the door for her, motioning them inside and to an ever _not_ excited Mermista, despite her support whenever and regardless.

“Why do you look like shit?”, the aspiring coach observed.

“I was about to ask the same thing. It’s only the first round, Adora, I won’t lose so easily.”

Blondie stopped on her tracks by that, recalling briefly what just happened. She hadn’t dealt with it _herself_ yet, so how could she give any kind of explanation? “It’s- Heh, it’s nothing. And I’m the one supposed to encourage you!”

Glimmer didn’t seem the least bit convinced by her smile, neither Mermista, and they exchanged a wary look. “Right… Well, I need to stretch, so why don’t you go take some air and come back later?”

“Yeah, ‘Dor, Glimmer can’t do distractions right now.”

Adora gulped down the implication, slightly ashamed to not be able to focus on her student at her own competition. “Sorry.” She decided to follow the advice, rather than bother them any longer.

\---

The stadium’s halls weren’t exactly empty while she wandered around, but only a couple of groups of people caught her attention. Every time too, she searched for a certain brunette with sharp eyeliner and slicked hair back.

But what would she even say to her, anyway? Not like they had parted with a big fight or something; it had actually been by the most possible friendlier way. As much friendly as leaving Adora to consider jumping from that bridge in their hometown can be. Honestly, maybe she hadn’t jumped because they ended things that way, maybe she hadn’t been meaning to in the first place. No matter the reason, they got to meet again because of it, and now she can’t even process how exactly it made her feel, just how she wants to see her again.

What she _did_ understand thoroughly was the frustration of not finding her and returning emptyhanded.

“Number 13 just went on, are you ready?”

Glimmer looked up from her middle split on the ground and from her phone, having her stomach fully leaned down. Mermista took her hands off her back, letting the girl relax a little.

“She’s ready. We were just waiting for her boyfriend to finish cheering her up.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Glimmer visibly blushed when stretching up, then whispered for anyone with _ears_ to listen. “Not yet, at least…”

Adora quirked an eyebrow at the flustered teenager, but didn’t comment on it. Her assistant coach is already carrying their student’s skaters, so she opened the door for them. “Let’s go then.”

\---

Glimmer prickled on her purple leotard stitching to her butt cheeks, looking straight forward while Adora massaged her tense shoulders. Doesn’t matter how many times she has gone to a competition, even with the little audience of this one, it still makes her nerves twitch.

“You’re more than above average to win your spot here. Stick to the routine, okay?”, her coach advised.

“You got this, Glim”, and Mermista also provided.

The teenager smiled upon her name being called, before she moved into the ice by Adora’s gentle pat. She skated nice and slow to the center of the arena, circling around a bit to settle in her first position. Soon enough, the agitated music started and so did her footwork.

Their junior’s short program consisted of a double or triple Lutz jump, and Glimmer obviously did the triple one right out of the bait. Sounds of applause reverberated the stadium, effectively busting her confidence as she skated along the ice to a layback spin. The music picked up to its climax, so she also picked up speed after and to a triple axel, then sequencing it with her other required jumps.

Adora could only watch with her knuckles to her mouth, although she knew Glimmer could do even better and this is only the first round, so they are playing it safe. Another minute in and she didn’t even trip once, as the music came to a stop.

Mermista started clapping beside her, but both of them watched their student skating back. “That’s my girl! You were perfect!”

“You didn’t get enough speed for the triple flip; we are going to need that for the next rounds. And your arms are still bent in the split jump. I told you to correct that, didn’t I?” The official coach kept her stare on the scores’ screen, waiting for her grades.

“You did… Sorry, I forgot.” Glimmer leaned on Mermista for support, as the blue-haired put the caps on her skaters’ blades.

Adora smiled by her almost indeed perfect score, passing the 90 mark. She looked down at her student, very much proud in contrast to what she has to say. “Muscle memory it is, then. We’ll work on it before going to nationals.”

“Ugh, you’re a monster.” The teenager could already imagine having to do the simple jump again and again just to assure Adora she won’t forget _again_.

They walked happily and relieved by the corridors, though, ready to go back to the hotel and rest for the night. That’s when Glimmer caught sight of a certain dark-skinned boy practically running to meet them- or to her alone, actually. Except it wasn’t looking like stomach butterflies for her, as much as it did for him, it rather washed visible panic over her features that didn’t go unnoticed by her coaches.

Mermista took the spot in front of the teenager with no questions asked, while Adora got ahead of them both and to talk to said guy. She tried not to assume anything, but her priority is with her student regardless.

“H- hey!” The boy panted a little upon reaching them. “I, uhm, sorry. Did I startle you? I promise I didn’t stalk you or anything.” He tried reasoning, but Glimmer still wouldn’t move from behind the women. “Okay… I’m Bow.”

“Adora.” She reached for his hand and shook it slowly. “How do you know my student, might I ask?”

“We-” Bow interrupted himself with an awkward laugh. “We’ve been talking in an… app. I’m sorry, I guess I shouldn’t have approached her this sudden. I’m actually here with a friend, she’s also a competitor, so I wasn’t planning on seeing Glimmer either.” He looked over Adora’s shoulder and to said girl avoiding eye contact, before scratching his nape and looking away himself. “You were really great out there, really… beautiful. I’m sorry, again, I’ll just go.”

Blondie watched him certainly walk back to his friends waiting for him ahead, and with a blush crippling his cheeks. _Cute._

What was _not_ cute was one his ‘friends’ being just the brunette she had been looking for. Adora cursed under breath when they caught each other’s stare for a split second, before Catra simply followed along the group. It was enough time for her to take in the girl’s costume this time, which consisted of black glitter over a burgundy leotard that has a high neck and collar. _Very Catra._

“Wait. App? He’s the cheerleader guy?” Mermista confused out of the blue.

Glimmer let herself finally shrunk down and succumb to her awkwardness. “Yeah…”

Even Adora focused back on her by that. “The guy you’ve been texting for a month now?”

“Yeah! God, please kill me.”

“Why did you- Why didn’t you talk to him? He looks nice, and he really does have a friend that is competing here. He wasn’t stalking you, so you could totally have cleared that up and hang out.”

Mermista frowned at her superior. “How do you know he wasn’t lying?”

Adora bit her lip in response. “I… _recognized_ his friend. She’s a professional skater.”

The assistant coach humored just in time to Glimmer’s growling. They looked back at her still trying to cease ever existing.

“I might have lied a little about myself. You know, social media standard. Everyone does it!” At least she decided to straighten up.

“What? About figure skating?” Blondie lifted an eyebrow at her.

“Worse.”

Mermista giggled not so secretly then. “I think I know where this is going…”

“It can’t be _that_ bad.”

“It most certainly _can._ I told him I was 20, teach.” Glimmer dragged a hand past her face dramatically, completely regretting her past choices and not even remembering _why_ she chose them. _Why, me, why?!_

Adora actually joined her colleague in the fit of laughter. “Oh.”

\---

Catra hasn’t been this nervous since the Grand Pix Championship’s finals last year, but it doesn’t have anything to do with actual skating. She is here only as a formality, after all, her national spot is already secured. Even so, now she is actually afraid to mess it all up by the simple glance of specific blue orbs that will most likely haunt her dreams for the next weeks- if not _months._

What were the _freakish_ odds of meeting her childhood best-friend and later lover? Adora wasn’t even supposed to be in this state, let alone _country._ She was supposed to have gone back to Horde and got her inheritance as the CEO of First Industries, but no, Catra didn’t think she would either. She didn’t think she would do much of anything, actually, by the way she left her lost and dreamless.

If Adora didn’t blame her for everything or at least for not sticking around, Catra _did._ She still does.

“Okay, deep breaths. You’re the star here, Wildcat! Go and blind them!”, Scorpia coached beside her. She doesn’t have an actual coach anymore, since firing the last two, so her friend tags along to cheer her up like this.

Catra indeed took a deep breath once her name got called, but not pulling any kind of smile to move inside the ice. She simply skated by the wind brushing against her skirt. It did the trick to calm her nerves and get into the zone for the performance.

If only she hadn’t caught a certain pair of blue eyes watching her from the audience. There were _many_ of them, so how the hell did she look straight at the ones that scare her was infuriating to say the least. At _least_ , that got her some emotion to put on her footwork and following jumps.

The pump of force was actually appreciated in the end, even if she couldn’t breathe normally. Even if the world felt like it was spinning more than usual. Even if her over-worked limbs _begged_ to just stop and run instead.

_Don’t look at me. Don’t- Fucking HELL!_

Catra’s routines have always been about strength and perfect choreograph, but she was really pushing herself today for only a short program. For a small audience…

She panted by the cut of the music, quickly excusing herself from the ice. Scorpia didn’t even have the time to put the caps on her skaters, before she threw the door open and walked out, not minding the salve of applause following.

When she finally made it to her dressing room, though, her demon was right there waiting for her. Catra obviously ignored her, going for the door instead, but Adora _obviously_ went inside too and locked the door.

“Wildcat? You okay in there?”, Scorpia asked from outside, once she caught up with them. She hadn’t seen Adora, apparently.

“I…” Catra studied the blonde girl crossing her arms over her chest, but she can’t understand her anymore. “I just need to be alone for a bit. Can you go watch the competition with Bow? I didn’t catch my scores either.”

“Of course! And you made 99.6, first place as always.”

They stayed like that until Scorpia footsteps faded away. Catra couldn’t hold the stare, though, so she turned to sit down and pull her skaters off. It granted her a chance to breathe, if only Adora hadn’t kneeled in front of her and helped.

“You jumped too early for the triple axel”, then said that like it was the most normal thing to do in this situation.

“What?” Catra stopped rummaging in her bag to get her comfortable sneakers. “I managed it to triple.”

“Yeah, _barely_. You might go even faster next time and it won’t work, so it’s better to correct it now.” Adora put her skaters aside, but made no movement to get up.

“I guess… Is this what you want? To give me some advice and feel better about your lost career?” Catra sighed, even if the _stranger_ didn’t seem mad about it at all. “Fuck, sorry, I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“You didn’t mean to state facts? Because, yes, I am happy to be a coach. And it does make me feel better to use what I spent half of my life on, instead of burying it away.” Blondie smiled at her sweetly. “How have you been, Catra?”

 _This isn’t fair_ , said girl thought while tears welled to her eyes. Honestly, how could she just smile like that? Catra should be happy for her, sure- it’s been all she has hoped for too, after all. After all these years. But it hadn’t only been _Adora’s_ dreams back then; they did pair skating for a reason. It was supposed to be _them_ performing back there, not _Catra. This isn’t fair._

“Fine”, she responded weakly.

Adora very slowly tried caressing her thighs first, building both courage and making sure Catra wanted it too. When they held each other’s eyes again, she cupped the brunette’s cheek and caressed her thumb over it.

Neither of them can tell who leaned in first, they just _did_. With all the calm in the world, as if the spell that must be surrounding them will break at any moment.

Blondie sighed against the stranger’s lips, feeling a careful hand coming to flex its fingers on her neck. She parted away just as slowly, lidding her eyes at the clear desperation on Catra’s features.

“Hey… Take this off?” Adora motioned to her tight attire.

Catra blinked once, before standing up. She pulled on the stretchy fabric and off her arms, then down her upper body, where Adora’s breath hitched to her naked breasts. Next thing she knew, Adora pulled her down to straddle her lap already.

They broke the space between their lips again, but rather more hungrily this time. The brunette made to explore her mouth the way she knew it would taste like, even if it felt different. But Adora grabbed her chin and took full dominance, before sliding her free hand over a small breast.

Catra whined in return, when that hand groped and pinched her nipple. Adora tilted her chin to the right too, effectively breaking the kiss and to bite her neck harshly. “Ah! You can’t-”

“I know. I won’t leave any marks”, blondie simply answered. She trailed kisses down her collarbone and to the unattended nipple to mouth it fully, earning shudders all the way down Catra’s body. She knew very well where exactly that shiver had gone to, as she flattened a hand over the girl’s tummy. “Do you want me to take care of that?”

“Eh… I don’t- Take care of what?” Catra visibly flushed, not wanting to assume anything. If Adora used to make her feel good regardless of their teenager’s sloppy touches, she sure is grown up now. Grown up to precise caresses and the _fucking muscles- my Stars, this girl got_ built _-_ to hold her down.

Adora didn’t waste more time to cup a surely dripping pussy, and get a squeak out of the girl. “Let me take care of you.” She moved her hand ever so slightly, parting the lips and moistening them up by Catra’s impatient whimpers. “Yeah?”

The brunette nodded and rested her forehead on Adora’s shoulder, while holding onto the wrist that flexed to touch her center, and trying to muffle her moans with her other hand. Occasional _ahs_ still slipped out. 

Apparently, Adora wasn’t having that, as she pulled a little on Catra’s hair for her to look up and kiss her. Just as she slipped a finger in too, to which Catra’s shuddering breathes startled even more.

“You didn’t answer me.” Blondie tugged on her hair again, keeping her from trying to hide back.

Catra gulped from the change in tone of voice, before crying out by the second finger stretching her. “Ah, ha, I- Yes. Please, nng… Adora, please- Ah!” _God, yes, she would give anything to her._ Anything to make her feel better about herself and their past, just as she had accused Adora to.

“I think you already know what to say then.” Adora’s eyes flashed with hidden mischief, although her own cheeks blushed from the implication of it. “Don’t you, baby?”

“Hm…” The brunette moaned into the kiss, lidding her eyes once they parted. She knew she had just as much control over Adora with a single word. “Please, m-mommy…”

Adora bit her lip to suppress her growl _a little._ “Good girl.” She finally made to play with Catra’s clit with her other hand, also curling her fingers inside.

In and out, the figure skater watched from above. It went in to the knuckles, then out to trust back in to her sweet spot. Although she _did_ admit to call Adora by that title, she wasn’t up for the full fantasy and orgasmed without any permission. It got muffled by the blonde’s mouth anyway, so she figured it was a given. Not that she is one to behave so easily either.

“Good?”, Adora asked while helping her ride out.

“Hm.” Catra got to rest her forehead on the pale shoulder now. She flinched when those fingers left her rather empty. “I thought… Heh, you just wanted to give me advice.”

Blondie giggled and held her tighter by the waist. “Me too.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to everyone who commented and/or left kudos, I have decided to give this a go.
> 
> have at it

Scorpia caught sight of her friend walking the passageway between the bleachers, quickly elbowing Bow to call for her too. “Wildcat! Over here!” Except she wasn’t quite aware of her own strength, and the boy was left panting until the brunette already reached them.

He still had mind enough to notice something is off about her, though. “You usually don’t take this long to get changed. Everything okay?”

Catra didn’t untangle herself from her self-hug, rather just sitting beside him. “Fine.”

 _Fine? Yeah, right._ “Uh huh…” Ever the sensible guy, Bow took note of her reddish eyes and the way she got anxious when he put an arm over her shoulder.

“You’re still first place, Cat. This is the last one to perform and she isn’t doing much better either”, Scorpia provided. She had to lean forward in hopes to catch her at least a little more relieved, but the girl kept her stare on the ground.

~~~

_Catra pushed away from Adora the second she snapped back to reality, and got up from her lap without another word. She pulled her coat on just as exasperatedly, refusing to have the sight of her ex any longer over her point of view, as she kept her back to the girl and even her eyes closed._

_“You should leave.”_

_“Why?”, Adora asked rather desperately. “I- I thought you liked it…_ Wanted _it.”_

_“What’s ‘it’, Adora?” Catra huffed, not really annoyed, but scared of the implication._

_“I don’t know. Whatever you want it to be, I guess.”_

_“You don’t know… Ha, that’s kind of the problem here. You don’t know_ anything _.”_ Fuck, she could already feel a tear painting her left cheek. _“Leave.”_

_Catra reasoned the old Adora would reach out for her if she actually wanted whatever they started… but she didn’t. She just left like it had been requested of her, leaving the brunette to punch the metal locker in front of her._

_Because of frustration, maybe, but there was something else there. Something that made her fall to her knees and keep punching until it cut the skin of her knuckles. In another reality, she was screaming to the scratch of her lungs, even if no sound came from her shut tight lips in this one, as only the repetitive metal sound sang over and over again._

_She eventually got tired, seconds or hours after, too numb to feel the blood slithering between her fingertips. Catra barely realized she had slipped into her ugly old habit, much less acknowledged she is still in that locker room and not falling to the ice._

_Adora knew_ nothing _about it._ _But she will always give everything to her, even if it meant ignoring herself. Just like every other time they passed each other over the years._

~~~

Bow pulled her up with him, assuming she really isn’t saying anything. “I’m hungry, let’s go grab something.” But he caught a glance of her flinching by the action. “Did you… Catra, show me your hand.”

Scorpia piped beside them too, yet the brunette made no move to comply. “Okay, I’ll go grab a blanket to wrap you in-”

“Stop!” Catra eased her self-hug to catch her friend’s arm, as she finally showed her bruised knuckles to them. “Here, are you two happy now? Because I really feel like punching happy people.”

“Good.” Bow didn’t see her frowning at him, only examined the damage. “I hate it when you deflect stuff with us. We’re closer than that.” He smiled down at her. “C’mon, let’s get this treated.”

\---

Adora brought her hands to cover part of her very much blushing face, if not completely feverish. She _had_ flinched once outside of that dressing room, when she heard Catra punching something, but it soon downed away after considering what exactly they just did. Although it really shouldn’t have. She should put more thought in it, maybe even have gone back, but all her brain can circle on right now is…

_“Please, m-mommy…”_

_Fuuuuuuck-_

“ADORA!”, Glimmer decided to just yell already to get her coach’s attention.

Blondie almost fell from her chair because of it, finally taking in her surroundings. When the hell did she return to their hotel? 

“God, get it together, coach!” The pink-haired teenager helped her up. “Why haven’t you gone to your room yet?”

“Why haven’t _you_?” Adora deflected, although she _is_ responsible for her student’s wellbeing. “Did you decide to meet up with that boy?”

Glimmer avoided eye contact. “Uh… Hypotactically speaking, would you be mad if I said yes?”

“Glim, it’s past-” She looked down at her small wrist watch. “Whoa, it’s past eleven already! You need to properly rest for tomorrow.”

“Hypotactically speaking! And I finished my bed stretches ten minutes ago!” The teenager pouted.

Adora rolled her eyes. “Where would you even go at this hour?”

“He’s actually staying here too-” She didn’t need to finish that phrase for her coach to catch on, as a not so unfamiliar anymore group walked in by that. Glimmer was still giving excuses, but Adora’s full attention closed in a single person.

 _Yeah, she really should have thought more about it._ Thought more about how the noises coming from that dressing room hadn’t stopped after only one thud.

The same way as Adora had tried reaching out for Catra when she asked her to leave, blondie hadn’t touched the door either- it ended like that, only a stretch of her arm, never reaching fully. Catra’s back had been at her, after all, a silent plea for Adora to turn her and face whatever demons must be haunting the brunette. But she didn’t. _She didn’t._

 _Why didn’t I?!_ Adora gritted her teeth and fisted her hands, completely caught in the sight of Catra’s bandaged hand and sunglasses hiding the reddish bags under her eyes.

“Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you”, Catra weakly stated in front of her. She had walked the steps over this time. “But please don’t come to my matches again.”

“You…” Adora frowned down at her. “You still do that?”

The brunette confused a little, before putting her bruised hand inside her coat’s pocket. “I don’t. Today was just stressful.”

 _Today… Today was…_ She took a deep breath. “Did I- Did I force you?”

“Stars, Adora, no. _No,_ I was the one who called you… that.” Catra’s blush was still visible behind her dark glasses. “Was that even what you meant?”

“I, uh, yeah. I wasn’t sure if you were still into it, so I left it open in the air.” By the corner of Adora’s eyes, she had mind enough to catch a certain teenager following her crush to the elevator. “Sorry, one sec.” She brushed Catra’s shoulder carefully to the side.

“Absolutely not! Glimmer!”

Said girl flinched in place, then turned around. “He’s just accompanying me to my room!”

Adora switched her gaze to the boy, who waved naturally. “Not one step inside, I swear I’m coming up in ten minutes!” And the metal box’s doors closed.

“We’ve done it in less”, Catra whispered beside her.

“Don’t remind me, that was my worst age.” Blondie realized her hand still on the girl’s shoulder, as she decided to test caressing it down her arm.

“All about the semantics, princess.” Catra flinched away when that hand squeezed her upper arm. “You’re gonna need to be straight with what you want first.”

“Hm…” _Is this how we are going to be now?_ She humored by the old nickname, this joke between them since Catra was the one being called ‘good girl’ in bed, but she never let Adora call her ‘princess’. There were plenty of endearing words she still used to call her.

 _But…_ Adora leaned forward to whisper at her ear, hoarse and demanding. “What if what I want is to fuck my baby girl?”

The brunette turned her head to look incredulously at her. “That’s… Didn’t we already…?”

“Heh, I would never get tired of you, kitty. It’s more about how much _you_ can take.” She breathed down the tanned neck, earning shudders with how Catra didn’t move an inch away this time.

Adora flexed her fingers below the brunette’s jawline, easily finding the agitated pulse point there. She looked Catra in the eye through the lens, while opening her own mouth a little, as her tongue slowly darted to the other side. “I still love making you cry.”

Catra felt that hand finally stop pushing on her heartbeat. It traveled to get her sunglasses up instead, revealing her flustered state and effectively getting rid of whatever barrier she could hold against her ex-lover, then it traced along her lips.

“You got quite behaved over the years, huh.”

“N-no, I didn’t. You’re just overconfident all of a sudden.”

Blondie quirked an eyebrow at her. “No? You sure?” She smirked.

The figure skater blinked… And blinked. “You mean-” Before bringing her own hand to hide behind, after swatting Adora’s away. “My God, stop!”

“Not what we’re playing right now, but sure.” Adora giggled in return. “Did you change your safe words?”

That got her to backtrack even more. Honestly, Catra hadn’t done their specific fantasy with anyone else, it felt wrong every time she thought about taking that step. Why the hell- _How_ the hell did she even get swiped into it, the second those blue eyes switched to something more anyway?

 _Okay, maybe she had been craving for it… Maybe._ But there is no way she is ever telling Adora that.

“It’s colors now. Green, yellow and red.” Catra came up with them on the spot.

“Hm…” Blondie examined her fidgeting self, besides the nonchalant attitude. She very slowly- _always so slowly_ \- approached her again and put a hand on her waist. It didn’t grab or anything, only caressed it gently down to pull the girl flush against her.

_Yeah, Catra saw that coming. Good to know they still know each other a little._

Adora used to have a thing for keeping her close, that apparently hasn’t changed. Specially when Catra flirted with someone else just to test her patience- things could get _messy_ then.

The brunette felt that hand travelling to palm her butt now, as it squeezed ever so slightly and she hid her blushing face on Adora’s breasts. _That-_ That is something she missed very much.

“I’ll be taking you later”, Adora ended up whispering. She walked away.

\---

The ding of the elevator announced her arrival and to step out of the metal box. Catra passed the desolate hallways right to a door that is _not_ her paid room. She knocked twice, before surely someone came to open it.

“I’m so glad you came.” Bow sighed and let her in.

They started talking about her free program tomorrow, but it eventually needs to round for her actual problem. The one she is stalling to deal with, and her friend waited patiently for.

Catra massaged her temples. “It’s fine. I landed a quadruple at that Dryl joint practice.”

“Well, try not to rush it. I know you speed things when you’re stressed.”

“I’m not- Ugh, _fine._ You’re not smooth at all, Archie.” The brunette plopped back on the bed by his giggles. “It’s about that girl we met in the lobby. The one that scolded your pedophile phase?”

“I’m not doing anything with Glimmer!”, he defended exasperatedly from the desk chair.

“She’s 16, bro. If you so much as _kiss_ her, I’m turning you in.”

“Okay, to be fair, she told me she was 20 when we started talking. And I told you I won’t!”

“Right…” Catra humored, laying sideways to look him in the eye. “Then mind telling me what exactly do you want from her?”

“I get that you’re a friendless person by choice, but some of us actually want to hang out with people.”

“ _Excuse you_ , I have friends. You’re one of them.” She squinted her eyes.

“I’m reconsidering that and you are deflecting!”

Catra rolled her eyes and dropped her head on a pillow at that. She muttered against it.

“What was that?”

“ _I said-_ ” The brunette turned her face for air and to answer him. “Her name is Adora. She’s my ex from high school.”

Bow’s expression couldn’t have gotten more interested. He practically jumped from that chair and onto his bed. “Tell me everything! She’s totally the muscle type, right? O.M.G. How does it feel to top someone taller than you?!”

Catra was caught by surprise to say the _least_ , as her cheeks bleached red. Her history is closer to stone top, after all. How could she possibly explain this to him?

“I… Great?” _Lying it is._

\---

Adora sneezed the next morning, while watching Glimmer do simple jumps over the ice. They got cheap thickets to skate on this family ice rink per her student’s request, although there are a feel couples skating about, but the strangers kept a safe distance and mostly awed over the teenager or recorded her.

“Someone is lying about you”, Mermista commented beside her superior.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how the saying goes.” Adora giggled. “You can go play too, by the way. I’ll keep watch.”

“Jeez, ‘Dor, we can _both_ relax. She knows what she’s capable of.” The blue-haired grabbed her pale hand to pull her along. “Come ooooonn, I know you want to.”

“Eh… But-”

“No buts! I have never seen you skate just for fun before!”

Surely enough, the wind that caressed her muscles made her relax. _Right, fun…_ Blondie looked around the little kids laughing away, this duo hanging onto each other for dear life, then a single little girl running and running.

That last kid got her strangely nostalgic of the time she didn’t even know how to make a simple turn, only run ahead. Run from what though? There used to be someone chasing behind, but they passed her and didn’t look back like she did. They didn’t stop for her to catch up like she did. They ran ahead on the excuse of doing it for her. Adora never asked them that… Did she?

“Ah, wait!”, Mermista shouted after her.

Adora didn’t hear it. She just ran faster before putting her weight on only one foot, stretching her arms away, then pulling them closer to her chest and jumping high. No matter how much she willed her body to stay in there, it eventually fell to the ice again. Someone applauded ahead.

“You still got it.” Catra grinned at the girl coming closer. She flinched when Adora deliberately took her hand.

“Come with me.” Blondie guided them almost out of the rink, when she felt the other party stop skating and pull her to a halt.

“I told you to tell me what you want first. If it’s me, then fine. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Adora looked down at their joined hands. “If it’s you, huh… You’re right, I just wanted to talk.”

“About?” Catra tilted her head to the side.

“Remember when you called me last year?” Those blue orbs finally stared back. “You were drunk that day, right?”

“It was night for me.” The brunette bounced her leg on the ice, already imagining where this is going. “What about it?”

“Well, do you remember what you asked me?”

 _Yes._ Much so that she rather not. “Not really…”

“Don’t lie to me.” Adora squeezed her hand harder. “What did you ask me?”

The brunette bit her lip in frustration, actually remembering all of it. “I asked if you were still alive.”

“And?”

“A-and if you hadn’t killed yourself yet. I’m sorry, okay? I know I’m a hypocrite, but- but I also really needed to know. I needed _you_ …”

Adora skated closer to cup her cheek, looking down on the tears making those mismatched eyes shine. “You never told me why.”

Catra leaned on the pale hand, as she took in that familiar scent. “You didn’t reach out later either.”

“Yeah… Why didn’t we? We could have kept at least texting each other.” She tried recalling those years that followed Catra’s departure, but nothing came. That’s because there _hadn’t been_ anything for her left. Adora only wandered the coast until she met this girl struggling to make a double loop.

Glimmer had gotten strangely dependent of her then, which forced Adora to get her act together for someone else. It was never about herself.

“It wouldn’t have been right. It wouldn’t have been _us_.” Catra held her stare, as she breathed closer and closer to her lips. They closed their eyes in another beat, just as those lips matched together and moved along. It didn’t deepen anything.

Adora pulled away first. “If you do good at your free program tonight, I’ll give you a reward… Yeah?”

The brunette leaned forward to whisper by the feverish ear. “Yes, mommy.”

_We don’t talk about the past when it so clearly could stop our future._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see you later


End file.
